If you haven't seen one in your single guy friends' apartments, you've probably spotted one in your newly married girl friends' living room (where she is putting on a brave face until she can get rid of it). Sorry to generalize guys, but nothing screams "bachelor!" like a black leather sofa. Indeed the ubiquity of the overstuffed black leather sofa has kind of given the whole concept of a leather sofa a bad rap.
It's unfortunate, because leather is a great upholstery material — it's durable, easily cleaned, and comes in every color under the sun! So, I decided to search out some leather sofas that both design-savvy sexes could appreciate.
1. Albert Sectional Design Within Reach $4,845* (*on sale). This sectional achieves the delicate balance of looking both modern and comfortable--not an easy feat!
2. Fulham Leather Sofa Restoration Hardware $3,595. This squishy sofa reminds me of the Le Bambole sofa by Mario Bellini--but without the hefty price tag.
3. Chelsea Wing Settee Williams-Sonoma Home $4,250. Ok, so this is a settee and not technically a sofa, but I find it utterly charming and sophisticated, too.
4. Blu Dot Couchoid Sofa 2Modern $1,799. If you like the look of leather, but prefer a leather-free lifestyle, then this modern couch from Blu Dot which is upholstered in "leather alternative" might be up your alley.
5. Ian Leather Sofa Crate and Barrel $3,499. I love the simplicity of this sofa. You don't exactly want to curl up and watch a movie on it, but I think for a more formal living room it could work.
6. Milos sofa Bo Concept $2,495. On its website Bo Concept describes this sofa as a "modern Chesterfield." Huh.
7. IKEA Stockholm Sofa $1,499. A leather sofa for under $1,500? Only at IKEA!
8. Conrad Sofa Jayson Home & Garden $5,495. In case #6 had you wondering what a classic Chesterfield sofa looks like — this it it.
9. Box Sofa Compact Hive Modern $6,775. I love this mid-century modern inspired sofa from a duo of Spanish designers--it also comes in walnut.
10. Essex Leather Sofa West Elm $1,999. A traditional leather sofa without the traditional price tag — what's not to like?
Do you love or hate the idea of a leather sofa?
Images: DWR, Restoration Hardware, WS Home, 2Modern, Crate & Barrel, Bo Concept, IKEA, Jayson Home and Garden, Hive Modern, West Elm
Store Mentions
Categories: Leather, Living Room, Sofas
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A sofa for under 1500? Maybe only at IKEA but here's one for under 1600 and it's beautiful and comfy:http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/66395?feat=506638-GN2
Pottery Barn Manhattan Leather Sofa. Timeless. (I have to say that because it's what is in my living room- it's also what my husband brought to the marriage.)
I don't get this--there was another post recently about how black leather screams bachelor pad, and I just don't agree. Black is a versatile color and leather is a very durable couch material (especially in a home with pets and/or kids), so it seems like a black leather couch would make sense for a lot of demographic subsets.
Oh, you can get a leather sofa for under $1,500. Ask my dad. He has a way of gravitating to these hideous overstuffed brown leather sofas that go for around $900. And they are real leather, despite looking like a fresh deposit from the catbox.
I am all for leather sofas. I am dreaming of a white sectional, just like the Albert Sectional from DWR. However, I am not willing to pay DWR prices.
I have a leather sofa and loveseat, I have had them for some 8 years. My dogs live on them. I specifically chose the type of leather that would best withstand doggie paws and there is not a scratch on them. I have to admit though that there is faux fur on the seats (tucked behind the seat cushions and adjusted about 100x a day) because my dogs, the princesses that they are, don't like the cool feel of the leather. The faux fur is not the most decorative but it works. Dogs are happy = I am happy.
I know this is slightly off topic but does anyone know where I can get a floor lamp like the one in picture #1? I can't afford some $3000 lamp either but something reasonably priced, say, maybe around $200 and similar?
I love leather for its compatibility with my dogs. Not only does the hair and dust wipe off, but the oils on their fur as they pass by do not stain it like they do with fabric.
I'm also pretty partial to my sofa. The Rutherford from Elite Leather.
Does anyone know where that awesome globe in the corner of the first picture is from? I tried searching the Design Within Reach website, but couldn't find it there.
Yes all the single guys I know/knew had crappy hand me down sofas. I think I saw a leather recliner once but that's it. I have been wanting to get a black leather sofa cause I think it looks nice and pretty. I have to say times and styles have changed so quit stereotyping the black leather sofa!
I don't know about the bachelor things - My husband hates our black leather sofas and wants to go for fabric. And I love leather - sleek, natural, warm, clean, a bit of shine, and so, so comfortable. And when I'm messy and spill crumbs or my tea, they wipe right off. Future babies may also make that a good thing.
They do need replacing within five years so we may compromise with a leather sectional and two really comfy fabric chairs. But we have lots of time to reconcile our perspectives!
Definitely don't buy cheap. I love leather sofas (soooo easy to clean), and years ago my husband and I bought a really "affordable" one from a big box and now we find out parts of it are actually vinyl (and thus not covered by warranty-tricky). And it is falling apart. Wish I had a time machine, so I could go back, wait a bit and buy better. If anyone wants to see the hole in my sofa, I blogged about it:
dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com
:) Tanya
Now that I've not had to vacuume cat hair off a sofa for five years, I don't see being able to go back to fabric, like ever. But yes, a COMFORTABLE, clean lined leather sofa isn't easy to come by.
The German brand W.Schillig offers both modern and comfortable. The downside is, it makes DWR look inexpensive.
Heh. I brought the black leather sofa to our marriage. My husband had never had one and fell in love with it instantly. Stereotypes begone! (I'm a girl.)
I'm with mintyminty and others — I really don't get why AT keeps stereotyping black leather sofas as a "bachelor pad" thing. I'm a girl and I would kill for a sleek black leather sofa, but alas — It's out of my price range.
What seems to be missing from this analysis is how some people buy leather sofas AFTER they settle down and have families and not before.
This is what we did but our choice wasn't on your list. We got the Goetz sofa from Herman Miller in black leather and walnut and it's supremely stylish.
BTW: the Box Sofa (#9) is a Turkish design not Spanish
I think that AT is referring to the overstuffed black leather sofas that look like if you sticked eyeballs on them could be muppets.
The boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a new sofa since we moved in together. Meanwhile I have been ordered to quit with the snarky remarks about the leather waiting room-style sofas which he purchased shortly after his divorce. Ahem.
How about this one from American Leather?
http://www.americanleather.com/Sofas_and_Loveseats/Modern/Luxe.aspx
"American Leather was founded in 1990 on one revolutionary idea: custom leather furniture could be made and shipped in three weeks or less. Founder/CEO Bob Duncan applied “just-in-time” manufacturing he admired from the Japanese car industry to the furniture industry. From a small four person shop, the company has grown into a thriving leader in the furniture industry, with over 130 different collections sold in over 650 stores, including Room and Board, Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, Design Within Reach, and Relax the Back.
The factory, based just outside of Dallas, Texas, still makes furniture – now in leather and fabric – in just three weeks or less, a delivery standard that’s three times faster than the industry average. From the beginning, the factory was set up to manage mass customization through the latest technology and manufacturing systems, making American Leather the most automated leather furniture manufacturer in North America, if not the world."
Similar lamp: http://www.zgallerie.com/p-8748-enzo-floor-lamp-chrome.aspx
Leather sofas in the majority out here. Uber cheap in general. Loved my LCs for all the pet owning reasons stated above - still have my black leather LC lounger - but recently swapped for fabric. God only knows how I will fare with it in the height of a tropical summer.
For those who asked, the chromed hemisphere lamp in the first photo is the Arco Light designed in 1962 by Achille Castiglioni. It is still in production and sells for more than many a leather sofa, but there are knock-offs.
My daughter and her husband have a black leather boxy shaped sofa. I've never really warmed to it. Feels too stiff and rigid, not sink-down-into-it comfy. Maybe it's just the color. I'm staying at a rather upscale hostel right now in Tierra del Fuego that has three white leather sofas, all boxy shaped, too, and I'm finding I really love them! They're very much like the ones in #1. Never thought I'd like leather sofas. Even though they're showing some wear it's not enough to make me feel all ick about them. And the pure white color is turning a bit ivory, which is natural and feels right. They're in a huge great room with loads of big windows that catch the light. The walls are white, the high ceilings stained cherry. I love it up here, it's making me think twice about getting leather in my new place.
Mother of 2 here, chiming in to say that our dark brown colored leather sofa has been fantastically compatible with toddlers and babies climbing, spitting up, jumping, spilling, dropping markers, etc. all over it. So I don't think of it as a bachelor pad thing. I don't love the look of our sofa to be honest, but it is so-family friendly that I'm not about to change it.
Sorry, but I hate leather sofas. I find them literally cold- as in the leather is cold against your skin (and I imagine it's hot in the summer) . They are also slippery- hard to get and stay comfortable. Having two babies and a dog, I can see how being able to wipe various messes off is a plus, but doesn't the leather show scratch marks terribly (from the dog, that is)?
I'm a no. The slippery part is the deal breaker, but I don't like anything about a leather couch. I have a kid, I get the argument, but...nope. (I do love how those destroyed whiskey-colored old ones look!)
In the dot-com land I live in, I can't throw a pencil from where I sit without hitting a guy under 30 with a black leather couch at home. Single women probably have their analog too, maybe Anthropologie shower curtains? And then life starts creating unique living rooms for all of us and we can argue over whether a black leather couch is or is not still a stereotype ;)
(As a side note, does anyone else think the CB2 catalog is aimed entirely at the black-couch-loving bachelor demographic beside me? "Buy this room!")
"Sorry, but I hate leather sofas. I find them literally cold- as in the leather is cold against your skin (and I imagine it's hot in the summer) . They are also slippery- hard to get and stay comfortable."
You've obviously never sat on a REAL leather sofa...
...However, you've described vinyl and "Bycast" leather to a T - if you're not spending $2000 or more, that's exactly what you're getting.
i was really surprised with the quality of the ikea stockholm one, i tried scratching up the floor model and didn't succeed, plus i like that it has a higher back than most of the other ikea sofas.
Does anyone have the ikea stockholm? How is it holding up?
@erinpearce I've had the dark brown Stockholm couch for almost a year. It suits both my tall husband and shrimpy me because I can curl up on it while he sits more or less like a grownup. We've been LIVING on it ever since. And so far, so good.
Does a slipcover work on a leather couch or does it slip around too much? I was thinking of making a light coloured canvas one for summer.
I have a 3 week old leather sofa from Room & Board and I am totally in love with it. It feels great. I am really looking forward to the distressing of the leather as it gets broken in.
Never tired of reading about leather sofas!
Two questions. First to RT:
Goetz sofa is so beautiful but is it any comfortable? I have tried stores in three cities already and nobody had it on the floor.
Please, if someone can have a chance to sit on Fulham from RH, can you please comment on its quality and comfort? Our RH in New Orleans does not anticipate to receive it for display - at least in any near future.
Thanks!
im curious if anyones got the KARLSTAD sofa or love seat from IKEA.. they look sharp, at least to me they do. do they hold up well, are they REAL leather, are they even comfortable? i like their design and price tag. will they stand up to pets and kids just as well as a high end leather sofa would???
@foleando I find the Goetz sofa very comfortable and has served me well on my Sunday afternoon naps.
This reply is very much appreciated, RT. The high arms made me doubt if it was suitable for napping and stretching.
I LUV BOTH OF MY LEATHER SOFAS BY ZANOTTA..I HAVE THE BLK MILANO AND WHT TUFFTED BAROCCO IN MY LIVING AREA. I'VE THROW ON OVER SIZED DEEP RICH PURPLE MOHAIR VELVET PILLOWS AND A LARGE FAUX FOX THROW..PRESTO-INSTANT WARMTH!!!
@foleando
RH probably won't be receiving Fulham sofas in stores till mid to late march and even then will only be the larger stores. Perhaps Houston/Dallas, Corte Madera, Miami, or NYC FLatiron will get one. Maybe have a friend in one of these cities keep their eyes peeled! Past that stores should be able to tell you which stores got them in about a month or so...
Just seeing your answer, kwimbel! Thank you! Yes, friends in these cities are ready to check on Fulham but still nothing is on the floors. Also, RH has very hard time to answer my questions about the internal dimensions (in between arms). It was quite disappointing to miss several great sales because of this uncertainty, but I am looking forward to know more details and will be waiting for now.
We are thinking about making a sofa like the Fulham. We already make some of the other RH styles such as the Lancaste, MAxwell and English Rolled Arm. Id be intersted in feedback from anyone who has sat on one. I located the company that makes them for RH overseas and was able to get correct dims that way.
Hey Apartment Therapy Readers!
We just thought this would be the best place to mention our totally revamped site at www.savvyleathersofas.com. We feature an amazing selection of leather furniture, as well as a site full of tools to help you find the perfect fit for your home, including a Design Center for customization, leather descriptions and tags, a free swatch request form and much more (even a Small Sofas category for the apartment enthusiasts). We hope to see you over there!
Savvy Leather Sofas
Was anyone here ever able to locate a Fulham to sit on. We're looking for a leather sectional and are very interested in it but are having a hard time pulling the trigger on anything we can't sit on first.